The deadline for requesting consideration for Early Entrance to Kindergarten for the upcoming school year is May 1st. No requests will be considered after that date.

To inquire about early entrance for your child, please contact Monica Bowler.

Children who become five (5) years of age on or before September 1 of the calendar year in which the school year commences are eligible to enter kindergarten. A legal birth certificate or passport will be required as proof of age.

Students who demonstrate superior academic readiness will be considered for early entrance to kindergarten if they will be turning five (5) years of age between September 2 and August 31 of their early entrance school year.

All children in Minnesota are required to begin attending school by the age of seven. Children are not required by statute to complete kindergarten before beginning first grade. The district recommends that children attend kindergarten before entering first grade.

Our program offers a variety of challenging learning opportunities for students who demonstrate outstanding academic ability. Students served by our program exhibit skills and understanding as measured by exceptionally high test scores and unique needs. Our students whose general ability and subject area achievement are at the top of the district will receive services. Since children grow and change, yearly they are assessed to determine current needs.

Some of our opportunities include:

PETS (Primary Education Thinking Skills) lessons for all students in first grade. These classes help students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills at an early age.

Pull-out and co-taught classes taught by gifted specialists in language arts/social studies and math/science for identified students in grades 3-5.

Total School Cluster Grouping and Differentiation at Bamber Valley, Gibbs, and Franklin in cooperation with Purdue University and funded by a Federal Javits grant.

 November 4 - 22, 2019 (at Longfellow only): CogAT administered to all grade 2 and 4 students. Non-public school parents of students in grade 4 may contact Jessica Tewalt by November 15, 2019 to register for the CogAT.

 December 2 - 20, 2019: CogAT administered to all grade 2 and 4 students. Non-public school parents of students in grade 4 may contact Jessica Tewalt by November 15, 2019 to register for the CogAT.

 Week of March 16, 2020: Students notified of qualification for elementary gifted services based on test data for following year. Students who qualify for gifted services will begin classes in Fall 2020.

 April 8, 2020: Last day for grade 2 and 4 students who did not qualify via test scores to request portfolio to qualify for gifted services for the 2020-2021 academic year.

 April 8 – May 8, 2020: Elementary gifted services portfolios completed at school under supervision of gifted specialists.

 October 1, 2019: Deadline for families of new-to-district third, fourth, and fifth graders to contact their gifted specialist if they wish to have their child considered for gifted services.

 October 1, 2019: Deadline for students in grades five, six, seven, and eight to request a Highly Gifted Middle School Program portfolio assessment. Parents of non-public school students in grades five, six, seven, and eight may request a portfolio assessment by contacting Jessica Tewalt by October 1, 2019.

 October 1 - November 7, 2019: Highly Gifted portfolios completed at school under supervision of a gifted specialist.

 October 8, 2019: Fifth Grade Parent Information Night for Highly Gifted Middle School Program from 6:00 – 7:30 PM at John Marshall High School. This night is for anyone who would like to know more about the Highly Gifted (HG) program.

 Week of November 11, 2019: Highly Gifted portfolios evaluated by a panel of gifted specialists.

 Week of November 18, 2019: All portfolio qualification or non-qualification results communicated to families. Students who qualify for the Highly Gifted Middle School Program will be emailed and asked to confirm that they are interested in attending the program.

 January 7, 2020: The random selection process for the Highly Gifted Middle School Program will take place. It will include names of students who have met entrance criteria and whose parents have responded that they are interested in the program.

 Week of January 13, 2020: Families notified of placement or waiting pool for Highly Gifted Middle School Program.

 Week of May 4, 2020 or earlier: Families are notified of Linear Algebra (Double Accelerated) middle school math placement by email.

The middle level Gifted and Talented coordinators provide or facilitate a variety of experiences to help meet the needs of high ability and high achieving students. Some of these experiences are available to all students while other experiences are for those who meet qualifying criteria.

Middle School Gifted and Talented options include:

Rochester Accelerated Math Program (RAMP)

Middle School Honors Classes

University of Minnesota's Talented Youth in Mathematics Program (UMTYMP) in Rochester

Highly Gifted Program at Friedell and Kellogg Middle School

If you have any questions about services, please contact your school's Gifted and Talented specialist.

Middle School Honors Classes are offered in the areas of English/Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. Students who are ready for more academic challenge may elect to register for these classes. The middle school honors classes move at a faster pace and provide more depth in certain topics. The middle school honors classes ARE NOT high school classes taught at the middle school, therefore, students enrolled in these courses will not earn high school credit by taking these classes.

The District strives to provide rigorous and active coursework that also addresses all of the Minnesota state standards. The ultimate goal is to blend challenge and success for all students.

UMTYMP (pronounced "umm-tee-ump") is an accelerated mathematics option for students who are highly gifted in mathematics. The experience students will have in the program is unique: class sizes are small, the scope of the curriculum allows students to cultivate both a rich depth and breadth of mathematics, the length of the program is shorter than comparable programs, and successful students will be granted honors level college credit for the courses taken in UMTYMP in the last three years of the program. This program is a branch of the larger UMTYMP program conducted on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus by the Math Center for Educational Programs. For more detailed information on the program, visit the Math Center for Educational Program's website on UMTYMP.

The Highly Gifted Program is a school within a school located at Friedell and Kellogg Middle Schools. The program is designed to meet the unique educational, social, and emotional needs of highly gifted students in grades 6-8 while still allowing the students to participate in a regular middle school experience.

The program provides rigorous content at an accelerated pace.

An open enrollment option is available to students who do not live within the Rochester School District.

Student selection is based on assessment measures determined by the Office of Student Advancement of Rochester Public Schools.

Highly gifted students will take part in four advanced subject disciplines: science, social studies, mathematics, and language arts.

Additionally, highly gifted students will participate in standard offerings such as music, physical education, and exploratory classes.

Students and families considering this option must meet ONE of the following criteria:

CogAT composite or total score of 132 or higher.

CogAT composite/total score of 128 or higher AND NWEA test total in Reading of 97 NPR or higher AND NWEA test total in Math of 97 NPR or higher (Scores from grade 4 spring NWEAs and afterwards will be used).

A qualifying portfolio of exemplary work completed at school under the direction of the gifted specialist.

Our three high schools, Century, John Marshall, and Mayo, offer a wide variety of courses to meet the needs of our students. Honors courses are open to all students that meet the course prerequisites. These courses extend the curriculum in terms of depth, quality of product, and pace of content. Honors classes are clearly defined on a student’s transcript; students are also encouraged to apply for an honors diploma.

Gifted Services also offers mentorships for juniors and seniors. A mentorship is an accelerated, individualized program of study for students who wish to learn a new skill, develop an interest, or explore a career under the supervision of a specialist in our community. Mentorships are excellent learning experiences outside of the normal classroom.

There are several ways to earn an honors credit:

Honors Courses

Honors Option Courses

Advanced Placement

Mentorship in the Community

Independent Study*

High School Gifted Specialists

Honors Courses are open to all students meeting the prerequisites.Honors courses add more depth and rigor to the existing curriculum. They promote higher level thinking skills and provide an opportunity for a variety of extended projects.

Students desiring more challenge in a regular course may elect to receive honors credit by signing up for the honors option. To receive the honors credit the student must complete assignments designated by the instructor which differ in depth, pace, rigor, and/or use of higher level thinking skills. Students must complete an Honors Option Registration contract which must be signed by the teacher, student, and parent, and then submitted to the Gifted Specialist. The Honors option is only available for courses that do not already have a corresponding Honors designation.

Check the course listing in the registration guide for a list of these courses.

Mentorship is an accelerated, individualized program for students who want to explore a career field under the supervision of a specialist in the community. Mentorships are done outside of school and are offered for juniors and seniors only. Mentorship is an honors credit course that provides challenge beyond the traditional high school curriculum.

This is an option for a student who has an area of interest beyond our curriculum. It requires the cooperation of an interested teacher. The student must write and submit a proposal for the principal’s approval.

All honors courses taken for honors credit receive a weighted grade on your transcript. Weighted grading is a system for calculating grade point average and/or class rank that gives more points for honors, honors options, AP, and approved Independent Study courses. Non-weighted grades are based on a 4.0 scale, while weighted grades go above that 4.0 scale.

*Students must petition the Gifted Specialist to receive honors option credit for an independent study.

Honors Diploma

Students in the Honors Program are generally working towards an Honors diploma. Students receive an honors diploma by completing 24-semester honors credits over their four years in high school with a grade of an A or B. All honors courses are clearly designated on the high school transcript by an H to the left of the class. We recommend students start planning in 9th or 10th grade for an honors diploma. Students wishing to earn an honors diploma must fill out and sign a self-nomination form and return it to their Gifted Specialist. There are currently 87 courses listed in the registration guide which count as honors credits.

Equity of Access

Rochester Public Schools strives to inform all parents, students, and staff about the gifted services opportunities available to students.

Some districts require a teacher recommendation before a student can be considered for gifted services. The result can be that students who are culturally, linguistically, and/or economically diverse are overlooked. RPS uses the CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) and the NWEA/MAP (Northwestern Evaluation Assessment/Measures of Educational Progress) tests to consider every child every year. The CogAT is given in grades 2 and 4; the NWEA MAP test is given twice or three times per year. For students who may not test well, there is a portfolio option to be considered for services.

For more information, contact the Gifted Services office at (507) 328-4299.

Gateway

GATEway is the Rochester chapter of the Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented, a statewide not-for-profit organization that advocates for educational services for gifted and talented students.

You can access their website for more information on programming and meetings.

Grade Acceleration Procedure

The District has a subject and grade acceleration procedure. For more information, contact your school's gifted specialist or Monica Bowler at (507) 328-4275.